3.9.16

‘Niger Delta Avengers Has Laid Down Its Arms And Now Waiting On Buhari’

The leading
militant group in the oil-rich southern region of Nigeria, the Niger
Delta Avengers, have expressed their readiness to engage the federal
government in a meaningful dialogue that would return peace in the oil
region.

They however demanded that government
must also be ready to show commitment towards the proposed dialogue by
withdrawing the military from carrying out further actions within the
region, Vanguardreports.

This decision was made known on Friday,
September 2, 2016, by one of the stakeholders of the Amnesty Programme
and leader from the region, Elder Timi Ogoriba, after an indoor
stakeholders meeting held in the Presidential Amnesty Office, Abuja.

He said that the meeting was
necessitated by the recent happenings in the Niger Delta region which
had impacted negatively on the economy.

“I see an end to the militancy in the
Niger Delta, definitely, there is nothing that starts that does not end.
Right now, there is a cease fire because of the interfacing by some of
us with the people that are involved.

“Government on its part has to show
commitment by trying to put up a dialogue team, doing some of the things
the young men had asked for, which I know they are very much aware of,”
Ogoriba said.

On the military action in the area,
Ogoriba said it would be reasonable for government to also cease fire by
withdrawing its troops from carrying out further action against the
Avengers to pave way for a meaningful dialogue.

“Well, they say the military action in
the region is a routine thing, but the timing is not proper. Now that
there is what is called a cease fire, cease is not a one way thing, it
is a two way thing.

“As far as we are concerned, the
military is on one side then the agitators are on one side. If at this
time, the agitators have pronounced a cease fire, and the military is
still there, it may appear provocative, it may be misconstrued.

“So, we have been making several appeals
to ensure that they withdraw. And if they think it is a routine thing
that they are doing, let them not carry out actions that might provoke
others which could bring about a combat, which we do not want now.”

On when the dialogue will start, he
said, “we would not know when the dialogue will commence, we have asked
the government to put up a team for the dialogue. The moment the
government put up a team, within the next one or two days, the other
side will also put up theirs, which we are trying to take care of.
Dialoguing is a process. So long as it begins, and we are sincere in our
approach, everybody will lay down his arm.”

Speaking on the possible extension of
the amnesty programme, he said that the moment the dialogue starts, few
of the things that were demanded by the agitators, which made them to
agitate will be addressed within the confine of dialogue, insisting that
sincerity is the hallmark of all the efforts.

“Once dialogue starts, what people of
the region must be seen doing is to put up a bill of right,
collectively, putting all the problems of the area together because it
is not everybody that will be there.

“I am believing that at the end of the
day, these issues causing problems for us will be addressed. Everybody
should be interested, government should be proactive. People from the
Niger Delta too should take care of their people and address the issues
when they come up, adding that amnesty programme is not only the
programme earmarked for training of people that are viable but noted
that there exist other programmes that would meaningfully engage them at
the end of the dialogue.”